Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening statement: "OK, [it's] good to see everybody here. I appreciate you being here. Obviously, it was a disappointing loss, but it's an opportunity to grow and get better. [It was] a tough environment. We had an opportunity to close it out two or three different times at the end, and we didn't do it. We need to learn from that [and] we will. We're getting ready for the Chiefs. What questions do you have?"
Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs, is that a good time to have the fans back in the stadium for you guys? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, we're excited. I'm excited for us and the fans. I mean, I'd say I'm excited for the fans, and I am, because fans get to enjoy that amazing stadium. I'm excited for us, because we get to be a part of the fans being back, and that's a good thing."
We saw you put G/T Tyre Phillips on IR. Is that season ending? Or does he have a chance to come back later this year? (Luke Jones) "That's short-term IR [Injured Reserve]."
WR Sammy Watkins and OLB Justin Houston know the Chiefs pretty well. Is there any possibility that you elevate RB Le'Veon Bell [to the 53-man roster] to take advantage of that matter? (David Andrade) "Yes, there is a possibility of that. Yes."
From an emotional standpoint, how do you see these guys kind of pick each other up after the loss on Monday? (Melissa Kim) "I think we go back to work – that's what we always do. We have a challenge in front of us that we're looking forward to, and that's what you do."
A big game from WR Sammy Watkins on Monday. I guess, what impressed you and what has he brought to the table overall? (Jonas Shaffer) "He's a veteran receiver. He knows how to play. [He's a] big, strong, fast receiver. He's talented. It was good to see him come step up and make plays. I said the same thing about Marquise [Brown]. Those guys are going to be huge for us. They're very important players for us. That's the beginning for us; we have to keep building on it."
A lot of the talk about OLB Odafe Oweh was surrounded by the zero sacks narrative of his final season at Penn State. How nice was it to see him get a sack right out of the gate in his debut in the NFL? (Kyle Barber) "It's great to see him get a sack, but he also had numerous pressures. He played the run well – that's what I'm looking at. The talk that you're referring to is just silliness. It was just dumb talk, so I didn't pay any attention to that."
There was a lot of talk about the running backs leading up to Week One. How did you think they performed? (Cordell Woodland) "I thought they played well. We have four good guys in here, and those guys are all going to be a big part of what we're doing going forward. I'm excited about having those four guys. I think we were very, very blessed, the fact that those guys were available when our guys got hurt. So, it's big. They're good players, and they're going to play well."
The Chiefs are one of the few teams to beat QB Lamar Jackson and this team multiple times in the Lamar Era. When you look at their defense, what kind of stands out? What do you feel like they hang their hat on? (Jamison Hensley) "They're very aggressive. They can be aggressive, because I think they understand the way the equation works for them as a team. So, in that sense, they're going to be very aggressive. They're going to try to create the illusion of chaos. You have to organize that, get it organized in your mind offensively and be ready to attack that."
Are you concerned about how it went with T Alejandro Villanueva on Monday night? Overall, how do you think that transition has gone for him, going left to right side? (Luke Jones) "I'm not really into that kind of conversation. We come out, and we work to get better. He works his butt off to get better; he's going to play very well for us."
Obviously, it's a very short week in preparation for Sunday's game. How hard is it for coaches to work on the mental part for the players, especially for the rookies? (David Andrade) "Well, you have to go to work. We came out … We got back in about 6:30 [a.m.] [or] 7 [a.m.] on Tuesday morning [from Las Vegas], and we were all back in here working; we've been working ever since. You get to the first practice; you get through the meeting this morning [and] get your guys ready. We're just rolling now. That's how you do it."
I noticed RB Ty'Son Williams only had a couple carries in the second half and eight or nine in the first half. Did he get banged up? Or was the plan to kind of rotate them that way? (Bo Smolka) "I think like I just said, we have three [running] backs active, four [running] backs in the mix here. We're going to play all of those guys."
We didn't see T Ronnie Stanley out there. Is there any update on him? (Jamison Hensley) "No, I don't have any updates right now on any of that."
QB Lamar Jackson
On how he felt the running backs played in Week One: "I felt like those guys came [and] stepped up pretty well. The result didn't come out the way we wanted it to, but those guys played pretty well. Some of us did … We want the game back, if we could, but it is what it is. We have to move onto 'KC' [Kansas City]."
On the chemistry of the running backs: "We're better. We had that one little hiccup with me and Ty'Son [Williams], but it's over now. We shouldn't have that problem any more."
On the decision to wear gold cleats: "Actually, that was the equipment guys, I think, that put them in my locker. I wasn't thinking about that when I was going out there. I saw them, and I was like, 'Man, I'm going to wear those.' And that's what it was. Everyone liked it." (Reporter: "Did you know that you'd wear them?") "I wasn't thinking about it. I wasn't thinking about the gold cleats until I saw them in the locker room when I got there. So, I didn't know anything about it."
On if it bothers him that he hasn't beaten QB Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs yet: "No. It's not about me and [Patrick] Mahomes – not to me, probably to everyone else. But it's the Ravens vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. They did beat us three times or whatever, but that's in the past. We have a better opportunity this time to come around, and we'll take the advantage and win at our home stadium. But I'm not dwelling on those losses; come Sunday night, we're going to play."
On what he's learned from the past losses to Kansas City that can help him in Sunday's matchup: "We have to finish drives, keep driving the ball down the field [and] take what the defense gives us."
On how excited he is to have fans back in the stadium: "[I'm] very excited. I can't wait to hear them. Flock Nation in the building, finally, after a whole year. They had a whole season off, the fans did. (laughter) But I'm happy to have them back. I can't wait. I'm pumped."
On if he's been wearing a chain since he was a little kid, as featured in a photo on Twitter: "That was elementary school. I don't even know what grade I was in. … Yes, I was. (laughter) I've been rocking the chain since I was a little kid, but I don't even know where she [Lacie DeCosta] got that picture from. I'm still puzzled right now, like how?" (laughter)
On how they can counter the Chiefs' blitzes: "If I catch it before the play pre-snap, I make a decision. I probably might make a read, or a check, here and there. It depends how the game goes – I don't know yet."
On if there's any added pressure to score on each possession considering the Chiefs' ability to score throughout the game: "We want to score regardless, no matter who our opponent is. We wanted to score against [Las Vegas] every possession. There was no pressure then; there is no pressure now."
On if it's challenging to prepare for the Chiefs, given all the roster turnover the past few weeks: "Everything can't be perfect. Everything can't go our way sometimes, and sometimes we have hiccups, just like [we have] now. [With] guys going down, we've got to move guys around, and it's football. You've got to deal with it and just move on."
On TE Mark Andrews facing triple teams: "There were three people guarding Mark Andrews. Ever since they found out about the deal [Andrews' extension], they're like, huh? … I don't know what's going on." (laughter)
On trying to get TE Mark Andrews the ball despite the triple-team coverage he may face: "We're going to get Mark [Andrews] that ball. We've got to get Mark that ball. He's a dynamic player; he makes my job a lot easier. Probably not with three people on him – I'm probably going to go to someone else – but we're going to try, because that's my guy, man."
On how much he's allowed to check out of plays and audible at the line of scrimmage: "It depends on the play call. Sometimes I might get two plays here and there. It depends what Coach [Roman] is calling."
On WRs Sammy Watkins' and Marquise Brown's performance against the Raiders: "Great game, great game. They had a great game."
On the confidence he has in WRs Sammy Watkins and Marquise Brown following their performance against Raiders: "Man, I was hyped for them. It's not even confidence; I already knew what those guys were capable of, because before we went down, we were throwing the ball. Well, me and Sammy [Watkins] were; I really didn't get [with] 'Hollywood' [Marquise Brown] during camp and stuff like that. But I already knew what those guys are capable of. They came back, moving fast in practice and stuff like that. I'm like, 'Yeah, they're going to have a huge game. They might have a huge game.'"
On saying the Chiefs were the Ravens' kryptonite after Kansas City won in their matchup last season: "Yes, I said that because they did beat us three times, so it's like, 'Man, we've got to find a way to win.' And hopefully this Sunday night coming up it will be different."
On taking a few hits against the Raiders: "It was my real first game [this season]. Even though I got in at Washington – a drive – that was my real first game, and I needed that contact. I needed to feel those hits, because during the season, I don't know how it might turn out, so I felt like I needed those little hits – not exactly the hit to the head and stuff like that, or falling on my shoulder, but to get hit sometimes. It's over with. Hopefully, I don't end up like that anymore this season."
On if he believes he has to re-commit to ball security a little bit more: "There's always a commitment to ball security. I was trying to make stuff happen. Even on the first one, I was trying to switch the ball and not fall on my shoulder, and he just made a good play and punched it out. In the second one, I was trying to make something happen, I got hit, and it happens. It's part of football – trying to make plays – but that's a main focus; not to have it happen again."
On if defenders coming in at the last second caused him to double-clutch on pass attempts a few times in the first half: "Yes, for sure, for sure. That's all it was."
On his confidence in Ts Ronnie Stanley and Alejandro Villanueva: "I'm very confident in my guys. Everyone makes mistakes; I had those two fumbles. Stuff like that happens. Every game is not going to be perfect. Week One is Week One. We lost. We didn't get blown out. It happens. So, those guys will be good, for sure."
CB Marlon Humphrey
On his twitter exchange regarding Alabama head coach Nick Saban: "Me and Coach [Nick] Saban go way back, and honestly, I'm just usually talking, and he's so locked in [that] I didn't really know if he really listened to what I said. Shout out to [Alabama safety] Jordan Battle. I wouldn't have said that in the media, but now that it's out there, Saban is a good jokster, and I guess I'm just happy I left my mark with the guy. So, that's my comment on it."
On what happened in the second half Monday night: "Man, it's crazy; after a loss like that, you always feel like, 'Man, we played so bad.' I think you said it best; it was crazy how good we played in the first half, as far as defensively, and in the second half, I think it was just a combination of a few different things. But when my coach broke it down to me, every time we gave up a big play, we either lined up incorrectly, or we did this wrong, and they just kind of took advantage. They just capitalized on really what we did mistake-wise. I felt the effort was there on most of the plays. There were a few that … Effort plays, those are things you can't live without, so we had some things with effort, some things with just lining up incorrectly, and they really took advantage of it. They did a really good job of just capitalizing on a lot of those things."
On his pass breakup that looked like it could have been an interception: "I definitely did not know I had the football, but yes, that would have been nice, that would have been nice – if that would have been interception. That probably would have been my easiest interception ever, so I guess celebrate a little slower. I guess [that] would be the thing for that."
On if he believes in the notion that some teams have another team's number, and if so, how the Ravens change that with the Chiefs: "The Chiefs have definitely had our number the past couple of years. And I guess the way you go about changing it is just addressing it how it is, looking at it head on and going into the game just trying to beat them. I know coming off of a loss, we're not really … Last week is kind of over. The good thing about a short week is you don't really have time to dwell on the negatives; you've got to move on with the positives. So, I think it's a great opportunity for us, for this club to really go out there Sunday night and show that we belong on the field with them. I don't know if we've played them every year since I've been here – I think it has been every year – and they've kind of been up on us. So, it's a great opportunity for us, [and] I'm really excited."
On how much speed is a factor when playing the Chiefs: "Big factor. I think they've got three guys who can go 4.3 and under, so that's a big thing. But the biggest thing is you just have to … When you look at the teams that beat the Chiefs, there are a lot of plays that the Chiefs get away with that should be made, [and] the teams that beat them just make those plays. When it's like, 'Oh, the Chiefs made this crazy play,' and they make so many big, crazy plays, but the biggest thing is you've got to tackle their skill and make the plays you're supposed to make."
On if the Ravens will play them any differently: "No, we don't really play them any differently, besides based off what they do offensively. But as far as mindset, we're going to play 'Ravens football,' and that's what we think is the key to winning."
On how much he's looking forward to fans being back at M&T Bank Stadium: "I'm definitely excited. The things that I fell in love with [about] being a Raven are the fans, M&T Bank [Stadium] packed and just having the Ravens logo on my chest. So, I'm just really excited to have fans back. I'm pretty sure it will be a sold-out crowd, so I'm definitely excited about that."
On his comment on the report that the Raiders are filing a complaint to the league about hits on WR Hunter Renfrow: "I did hit Hunter Renfrow a little after the play. I thought Derek Carr was out of the pocket. I apologized to him on the field. But yes, that was a play I wish I could take back."
On losing CB Marcus Peters to injury: "Man, that was huge. It kind of happened so fast, and we had to get on to Las Vegas, but on the field we definitely … His play of course – missed him there – but the thing I'm going to miss most about him are the things he does when we're not on the field – talking to me, talking to the guys, calming us down, those different things. It will be an adjustment. [We're] one game in. It will only get better with how we communicate in the secondary, and different things, without him, but the good thing about being here is we keep a good bunch of guys that can play. Anthony Averett stepped up; Chris Westry stepped up; we've got 'A.D.' [Ar'Darius Washington] – a lot of different guys that can step up. I believe in the guys we have here. One of the big things here 'Harbs' [head coach John Harbaugh] said before we made the 53-man roster is he thinks all 90, or however many guys were here, can play. And so far that's going to be seen to be true."
